Exclusive:
Keir Starmer met with Donald Trump at the Oval Office on Thursday, 27 February, with the US President reportedly armed with a ‘lethal’ plot to humiliate the Prime Minister
Donald Trump had a ‘lethal’ plot to humiliate Keir Starmer at the crunch meeting earlier today, according to a body language expert.
The Prime Minister met with Donald Trump face-to-face on Thursday, 27 February, after landing in the US for crucial discussions in the Oval Office, with Ukraine being the main topic. Starmer is thought to have cautioned the President that without a security guarantee from the US for any peace agreement, Vladimir Putin could strike again.
The meet marked the first time the two leaders have come together since Trump’s second inauguration, and many viewed it as a test of Starmer’s diplomatic skills.
Trump has a history with world leaders and his knack for making them uncomfortable under the spotlight with his ‘lethal’ humiliation tactics. His meeting with the PM wasn’t thought to be any different, as body language and communication specialist Judi James revealed Trump’s strategy.
Speaking to The Mirror about Trump’s past behaviour at high-stakes press conferences, Judi said: “Trump’s greeting rituals are a bottomless buffet of lowering techniques. The handshake should be a simple etiquette two-step designed to create the impression of mutual, starting-point submission, like boxers touching gloves before a fight. But for Trump, the handshake is the fight and Starmer walked into the ring against a world heavyweight champion.”
According to body language expert Judi, Trump’s handshake style with political figures like Theresa May and Boris Johnson is often a power play. She explained: “His shake and yank is the most lethal ritual as he will grab the hand then suddenly and quite violently yank it toward or away from him, leaving the other person de-stabilised and fighting to keep their balance. He will also power-pat to register superiority.”
Judi suggested that leaders who appear friendlier “often fare worst” in these encounters, as seen in the global press. “The holding of Theresa May’s hand made it look like she was engaged in some kind of tryst. When Trump wanted to show the world that ‘Little Rocket Man’ Kim Jong Un could be friendly, he showed him off using the body language of a proud pappa, and when Boris Johnson paid a visit, Trump made him descend a curling staircase like a bashful debutant being announced at a ball.”
French President Emmanuel Macron “once beat Trump by crushing his hand so hard you could see the imprint of his fingers in Trump’s flesh for moments later”, Judi said. During their recent meeting, Macron “scored multiple points”, but Trump quickly reasserted his dominance by placing a hand on Macron’s knee. “Macron pushed it away and Trump put it back with a slap, showing he will of course play dirty if pushed,” Judi explained.
Speaking further about the meeting between Starmer and Trump, Judi said that the PM would have aimed to convey a sense of “friendly, like-minded equality”, as if they are “two alphas fighting on the same side”. “But Starmer will almost certainly be wanting to stamp some sense of his own alpha leadership power on their body language rituals too,” Judi explained. While Starmer “will want to look like the tough guy”, she said, his natural body language is softer and more subtle.
“Starmer has the perfect role model for his ideal body language approach in our own Royal Family. They have spent years cultivating an air of disconnected, polite charm that comes with a whiff of superiority and amused cynicism,” Judi noted. “Prince Philip always turned on some upper-class charm but with an asymmetric smile and an eye twinkle that suggested he was chuckling inside. Prince William tends to use a more bashful charm but makes his status look like a given. The royals would never enter any hand-wrestling contests because they always keep their dignity and therefore their status.”